Posted: September 2, 2021
We may focus on property marketing videos, but there is a strong reason to use video content of all types across your full marketing strategy. Not convinced? Here's 10 reasons why you NEED to be incorporating video content more and more in your marketing strategy.
Video is the form of content with the highest engagement
Do you feel like you watched a lot more videos last year during the pandemic? You’re not alone. According to HubSpot, people watched 12.2 billion minutes of video last year; that’s 23,211 years’ worth of content! (link) Even as quarantines are lifted and people have more options on how to spend their spare time, that habit and enjoyment found in video content isn’t going anywhere.
More than likely, your competitors are using video content
According to HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report for 2021, video is the primary form of content that marketers are using within their content strategy. (link) While jumping on the bandwagon just to follow the crowd isn't usually the way to be effective, you don't want to risk losing ground to your competitors as well.
It’s easier than ever to get started
We like to call it, “the democratization of video,” as in, anyone with a cell phone can now be videographers. Before cell phones had amazing cameras in them, you’d have to buy or rent a camcorder to film something. Or, have an 80mm film camera. But these weren’t in ready supply. Therefore, only people or businesses with money/funding could afford the cost of making commercials, how-to videos, and other forms of video content. Now, it’s as easy as filming something on your phone, editing in an app, and uploading to YouTube. All from a mobile device.
Your leads and customers want to engage with video content
As social media platforms began to prioritize video, businesses responded in kind by creating an avalanche of content. As social media feeds became inundated with videos, users were quickly ingrained with a desire to seek out additional video content. It’s so much more fun to watch a video than read a text post, right?
Video content can be used in so many places
Videos aren’t just for social media or websites. Think of all the ways that a piece of video content can be used. A branding video can be used in pitches, on sales teams, on the front page of a website, on your profile page of a social media channel, linked in an email marketing campaign, and more!
It can be evergreen or time-based
Depending about your content, the video in question may be evergreen content (like a branding piece) or timely (responding to the latest social media trends). Both can be useful for a company’s marketing strategy and can provide engagement within the community.
Long form content can be chopped up for other uses
You also don’t always have to be constantly creating content. One longer video can be edited into smaller videos for other uses. Gifs can be made from a few frames of a video for social media posts. One long interview could be broken up into multiple videos to space out the uploads. When considering the use of a piece of video content, challenge yourself to come up with 3-5 uses.
Casual, informal video is a great way to communicate with your brand community
Just as we previously talked about how the democratization of video content has made video incredibly accessible, one side effect of this is that on channels like social media and YouTube, there can be lower expectations for what constitutes “good” video content. A Hollywood blockbuster movie will have much higher expectations than a 15-second clip in someone’s Instagram Stories. Don’t let the fear of not having a major budget or resources keep you from making compelling content!
How-to videos are more effective at explaining than text alone
If you sell a product or service, then having how-to content is a must. Your customers will look for it and leads will look to see how well you support your customers. It’s a win-win! Instead of relying only on text-based blog posts or photo slideshows, combine the two into a video with voiceover. Not only will it better demonstrate how to use your product/service, but you can then use that content in emails, websites, social media, and as a primary tool for your Sales and Customer Service teams.
Video content is becoming the default expectation among consumers
As more and more businesses create video content for their leads and consumers, video has become the default expectation. It is expected to have interviews with current customers as a form of testimonials. It is expected that a B2C business has videos of the new product that they are selling. Since then, marketers around the world are finding that customers are seeking out and engaging much more rapidly with video content than any other form. Meet your customers and leads where they are and provide them with the content they are looking for!
Convinced but don't know how to get started? While it's easier than ever to make video content yourself, sometimes, there just isn't enough time or energy in the day. Our video content team at Four Tens is happy to step in and fill that need! Reach out to our experts today to learn more about how we can help you with your video needs.